1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus that outputs, as an image, document data containing information for accessing related information, such as hyper document data written in, e.g., HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language), embedding information for specifying the related information, and an image forming medium onto which the image has been outputted.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, with widespread use of computers, many documents are electronically generated. Particularly, because of the evolution of network technologies as typified by the Internet, many electronic documents take a form called hyper documents that have links for associating information (hereinafter referred to as related information) such as related texts, image elements, sound, and video with image elements constituting the texts, such as text bodies, pictures, and graphics. For example, in electronic documents written in HTML, which is a sort of hyper document, a link is implemented by describing URL (Uniform Resource Locator) indicating the location of related information. Such hyper documents can be generally browsed by information browsing software called a browser. Furthermore, by pointing to image elements constituting the documents with an indicator called a mouse, related information of the image elements can be quickly browsed or reproduced.
By the way, the hyper documents may be printed out on recording media such as paper in almost the same appearance in which they are browsed by a browser, by common printers of the ink-jet system, electrophotography (xerography system), and the like. Since such printout on paper is superior in visibility and transportability than output onto electronic display media such as a display, it is widely being used in offices in general and homes.
However, hyper documents simply printed out have a problem in that, since only visible information of information contained in the hyper documents is recorded and information about links and the like is not outputted directly on paper, the characteristics (properties) of the hyper documents are lost, with the result of reduced usability. To be more specific, to gain access to related information, the user must take the trouble to leave the printed documents, browse electronic hyper documents, search for a corresponding image element, and point to it with a mouse.
Therefore, to solve such a problem, there are conventionally proposed technologies by which hyper document is printed out with link information embedded on paper so that access to related electronic information from the paper document is enabled.
There is disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 10-228468 a system that embeds coupling information for associating written information such as text bodies and graphics having links with pertinent linked related information in proper areas of the document in the form of two-dimensional codes and prints out the document. According to the system, when accessing the linked related information, the user marks the corresponding written information with a marking pen and lets a scanner scan it. By analyzing the scanned image and specifying the selected written information, the system makes access to corresponding link information.
There is also disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 10-289239 a system having a part that provides selection disabling information for judging whether marking points are valid, added to the above-described system.
There is further disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 11-203381 a system that converts a URL in HTML document into an image represented as two-dimensional codes and prints out the document, inserting the image immediately after a reference portion (a portion of the URL). According to the system, when accessing linked related information, the user scans in an image portion represented as two-dimensional codes with a camera. By analyzing the two-dimensional codes and converting them into a URL, the system makes access to the related information.
However, although the conventionally proposed technologies eliminate the trouble to temporarily leave paper documents to access related information and browse electronic hyperdocument documents, problems as described below might arise.
The system disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 10-228468 has the drawbacks that: 1) a paper document is smudged because of marking with a marking pen or the like; 2) a paper document once having been marked cannot be used again; and 3) scanning in the entire paper document by a scanner to analyze marked written information and coupling information of two-dimensional code requires much time for the scanning and analysis, disabling a quick access to linked information.
Although the system disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 11-289239 solves the above-described drawback 2) by providing selection disabling information to enable the use of an identical paper document a plural number of times, the drawbacks 1) and 3) are not solved.
The system disclosed in, e.g., Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No. Hei 11-203381 is free from the above-described drawbacks 1) to 3) but has the drawback that the insertion of an image represented as two-dimensional codes collapses the appearance (plotting positions of image elements) of the original HTML document, so it cannot apply to documents important in appearance. Particularly, where plural URLs are embedded in different points of one picture, such as functions called clickable maps, application of the system is difficult. This is because a collapsed appearance would make it impossible for the user to determine which two-dimensional code corresponds to a URL to be referenced.
In other words, there exists a problem in that, although various technologies are proposed to print a hyper document, embedding information about links contained therein on paper and enable access to electronic related information from the paper document, the conventional technologies of scanning the entire document for analysis require much time for access to related information or limits applicable hyper documents to maintain appearances.